Vizag is poised to turn into an AI hub, says BJP Andhra Pradesh chief Madhav

According to BJP State President PVN Madhav, Visakhapatnam will emerge as an AI hub in Southeast Asia under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“What IT did for Hyderabad in 30 years, AI will now do for Visakhapatnam,” Mr. Madhav said here on Tuesday.

He observed that the facility will attract huge investments, create employment and shape India’s digital future.

“The Prime Minister has specifically focused on Andhra Pradesh by allocating huge projects, the latest of which is Google Data Center and Artificial Intelligence Center with an investment of Rs 1.33 lakh crore,” he said.

Mr Madhav said the Google project was the largest foreign direct investment in the country. The submarine cable network will connect 12 countries in Southeast Asia. The project will put Visakhapatnam firmly on the world map.

He gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Centre’s efforts to bring Google to Visakhapatnam in the presence of IT entrepreneurs and media representatives.

Explaining the Centre’s efforts to bring Google to Visakhapatnam, Mr. Madhav said the Center has taken great steps to strengthen the AI ​​ecosystem. Approved in March 2024 with an initial budget of ₹ 10,371 crore, the India AI Mission received a major boost in September 2025, with funds being doubled to ₹ 20,000 crore.

Both Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Mr. Modi recently met in New Delhi to discuss the project and finally made an official announcement earlier this month, he said.

“The Prime Minister reiterated that India must transform from AI consumers to AI creators. Therefore, he is taking steps towards the creation of AI as part of his commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat. Prime Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also supports Mr. Modi’s vision,” Mr. Madhav said.

Addressing the media later, Mr. Madhav said that the Modi government has provided strong support to the growth of Andhra Pradesh by providing many first-of-its-kind projects to the State, making Andhra Pradesh a national and global investment destination.

Referring to some projects, he said that NTPC’s green hydrogen energy project in Visakhapatnam with an investment of 1.8 lakh crore is the first green energy project in the country. Secondly, South India’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility would also be established in Andhra Pradesh. He added that BPCL has set up a mega oil refinery in Nellore with an investment of ₹ 84,000 crore.

“Now the Google project will be a game changer, putting Visakhapatnam on the global technology map,” Mr. Madhav said.

He said that YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has not responded to the Google project so far, which shows that they are not interested in hosting such a wonderful facility. He also criticized the Karnataka IT Minister for commenting on the Google project.